Dear Editor,
I must commend Commissioner of Police (ag) David Ramnarine on his latest move to bring uniformity and discipline to the traffic and anti-crime ranks with his assertive statements at the recent meeting hosted at the Officers’ Mess annexe, Eve Leary.
First and foremost the new style he is bringing to the job is needed in an era where indiscipline is leading to crime and corruption in all systems of administration, governance and institutions.
The stern statements made by the acting Commissioner must be enforced by consequences, and he readily reminded the ranks interfacing with the public daily about cause and effect.
I can assure the Guyana Police Force (GPF) that the public is looking forward to working with the force as many communities are banding together to assist in crime prevention. However, as the Commissioner (ag) noted many junior ranks bring the GPF into disrepute, resulting in the lack of public trust that the force is trying very hard to reverse. If the head cannot have a good command of the legs then the body cannot move forward.
I can personally testify that my interaction with senior officers and commanders has enlightened me about how much passion and love they have for their respective duties as they try their best to rebuild relationships with the communities and forge ahead with crime prevention plans that will benefit Guyana.
It must be noted that if a rank is not patriotic about wearing the state’s uniform to serve and protect, then that officer must not be allowed to evolve into someone who behaves like the master and treats civilians as the subjects. The police must not forget their oaths and must realize they are the servants of society. No rank should ever take this for granted because the tables can quickly turn in the blink of an eye.
There are a large number of ways in which law enforcement officers actively give back to their communities. The most successful programmes involve the interaction of police with members of the communities. In most cases, that face-to-face interaction is vital to the success of the programme. Some of these interactions include community and school presentations; scholarships; police-youth interaction and homeless outreach programmes.
Mr Ramnarine should continue the great job he is doing to assist Guyanese build that much needed bridge between the force and various communities to increase public trust.
One sour point to note, however, is that some of the ranks stationed at Timehri are still hassling drivers after I was in the vicinity on Monday, September 9, and patiently observed if they had acknowledged the warning of the Commissioner (ag). Apparently some haven’t heeded the directive.
Yours faithfully,
Haleem Khan
